Running Towards the Cross

Lent on the Run — Day 38

Apr 17, 2025

Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.
— Luke 9:23–24

Running has a way of revealing what often lies deep within us. Somewhere between the steady breath and pounding pavement, we come face to face with our limitations—and more importantly our potential.

The same can be said of the life of faith. In these verses, Jesus doesn’t soften the call to discipleship. He invites us to a life of intentional surrender: to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow him.

This isn’t about self-punishment or spiritual bravado. It’s about alignment. Choosing to follow Jesus means daily recalibrating our lives to reflect his. Just like showing up consistently to run, even when the weather or our mood tempts us otherwise, discipleship is a practice of commitment. And like training the body, it’s often in the repetition and routine where transformation begins.

Taking up the cross daily can feel daunting. But it’s also deeply liberating. When we lose our life—for Christ’s sake—we’re not losing our identity or joy. We’re shedding the layers of fear, pride, and self-preservation that keep us from becoming who we truly are. We run not to escape the world, but to move through it differently—with compassion, with courage, and with clarity about what truly matters.

Lent is a season that invites us to reflect, reset, and recommit. As we journey toward the cross, may we do so not with dread, but with holy intention—knowing that on the other side of surrender is new life. The road may be narrow and uphill, but the view is resurrection.